How do I use the Prayer-Dare-Share strategy with campus outreach ministries or my youth group?
Simple.
Pick some friends or other students who don't know Christ as their personal Savior. Begin to pray for them by name every single day to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Then personally invite them to attend an outreach event with you.
For instance, First Priority has what is called Seek Week as part of their program. This meeting is specifically designed to enable you to bring your lost friends so that they can hear a clear gospel presentation in a non-threatening environment. Young Life is an organization that has been doing relational evangelism effectively among high school students for decades. Bringing your friends to one of their meetings would be a great way of allowing them to hear the gospel. Campus Life is also another effective outreach meeting. There may be other campus ministries at your school that are also effective at sharing the gospel in an outreach meeting. Ask other Christian students if they know of any. The point is to get your friends out to a meeting where they can hear the gospel in an environment that makes them feel comfortable.
Many youth groups have outreach meetings on a regular basis. These outreach meetings are specifically designed to reach students for Jesus Christ. Many times these outreach events are centered around a concert, an event, or fun activity where the gospel will be given afterward. Ask your youth leader when the next outreach meeting for your youth group will be.
When you invite a non-Christian friend to an outreach meeting make sure that you alert the leaders so that they will be sure to greet your friend before the meeting starts and give the gospel at some point during the meeting.
During the meeting make your friends feel comfortable. Don't leave them alone. Introduce them around to others. Sit with them during the meeting. Share your Bible with them if your youth leader asks everyone to turn to a passage of Scripture. Look up the verses for them so they don't feel stupid because they don't know where certain books of the Bible are. Do everything you can to make them feel loved and accepted during the meeting.
The whole time the gospel is being shared silently pray in your mind that God will save the souls of your friends who came with you. Remember that the battle is won or lost with prayer.
Finally, after the prayer, after the dare, comes the share. As soon as you can, get with your friends alone and ask them what they thought of what the speaker said (concerning the gospel). Listen to their responses. Answer their questions the best that you can. And, most importantly, share the gospel!
If possible, share the gospel with your friends immediately after the meeting. The sooner the better. Share the gospel while the speaker's message is still fresh on their minds. Maybe that happens in the car on the way home. Maybe that happens over a Coke afterwards. Maybe that happens right after the meeting is over while everybody is hanging out.
The most effective way to communicate the gospel in this culture is through invitational evangelism. Pray for your friends. Invite your friends to an outreach meeting and share the gospel afterward. Prayer-Dare-Share. It's simple!
